Five Quests Five Treasures

your life, with respect, with goodwill, and with a constant asking
of the basic questions of what is a family, what do we do for each
other, what do we get what do we give, it is just another system
that we can learn and improve, in small things, in miniature ges-
tures, a thought, a word.

The sustainable family is one that reaches that point, that really
does feel like home, that is a place of refuge, a place of joy, a place
of growth, together, each other alone, a place where every day
something wonderful can happen if we just pay attention, take
the time.

Family life is more important than your career and even your
friends. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you will find a
happy path for life. And that does not mean you have to live with
your family or listen to what they say that you should do, no, I am
talking about a more holistic sustainable modern way of thinking,
where you just need to keep your family in your heart but also in
your mind, thinking how your actions affect your family, how it
can help the family, how are you a productive and important to
the family. And again, please understand that sometimes it is just
a kind word, or an advice, something small but significant, that
helps and lifts the whole family.

4.6 Sufficiency and satisfaction

What is the secret of a good life? Appreciating the small things,
enjoying the moment, understanding the importance and treasure
that is something, that is right in front of you, right under your
nose, and you might have missed it.

In family life, a sustainable happy family life, those who learn to
enjoy the simple things together, not only have found a treasure,

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but a world full of treasures, to be experienced together, to be
enjoyed together. Family life is hard work as it is, it is constant
work, sometimes a constant struggle, so learning to enjoy the very
simple things, from something small like a phone call, or a meal to-
gether, or maybe a short trip out of town for the day, the treasures
are there for you to choose.
But in the end, we are all busy, we are all running, we are all try-
ing to build new relationships, new lives, and then, right then, you
feel the real magic of family, that they are always there with you,
somehow. Always.

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Family is your center

It is where you start from and where you will always return to.
Move from your center and you will be stable and strong, move
from your center and you will be focused and effective.

Family is forever

Unlike friendships or careers, nobody is asking you if you want
your family or not, and you only choose the second family, the one
you make for yourself. So treat your family like something that
you understand will stay with your forever, as something special,
something sacred.

Family is alive

Family life is constant work, constant building and constant im-
proving. Your family today is just a starting point and you decide,
with your actions and words and thoughts what it will be in the
future. The more you put into it, the more it will grow to be some-
thing good that you can be proud of.

The best family life is a sustainable one

Family is an investment, a guiding hand, a home, but can also
be an obstacle, a distraction, a fence that keeps you from other
things. Find the right family path and you can enjoy the benefits
without the downsides. Find the right sustainable family life, and
what you get will be tenfold what you put into it.

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Quest #4 Finding the treasure that is FAMILY

The dragons - Living with strange people, obeying elder’s rules,
challenging or accepting elders advice, sibling
rivalries, problem with parent relationships,
your position in the family, strict expectations
and other people’s dreams and goals.

The puzzles - What really is family? Is it blood? Is it love and
loyalty?
What is my part in the family structure and
mechanism?
What can I learn and get from family, what can
I give to family?

The treasure - A real home, where you belong, and have good
relationships with your parents, brothers and
sisters and the rest of the extended family,
to augment every joy, to sooth every sorrow, to
go together through rain or shine, with endless
love and support from the day of your birth to
the day of your death.

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QUEST #5

Finding the treasure that is SOCIETY

5.1 The ants and the bees

We are always alone, we were born alone and we will die alone.
But we are always alone together. What does that mean? How can
this be? Are we alone or are we together?
This question is something that people think about for thousands
of years, and there are many answers, many explanations, many
reasons. Some of these answers are correct, but the main thing
to remember is that these two things can and do work togeth-
er. Alone and together. Both true. And this is exactly the way it
should be.

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If you look at animals, the most simple small animals, like ants and
bees you see a one big “together”, there is no “me” in the bee hive,
every bee has its job and its place and is part of the whole, part of
the big system, the big ideas. In some ideologies, like communism
for example, people have tried to emulate and create this system.
The only result is hunger death and destruction. Why? Because we
are not bees, we are humans.

If you look at animals who evolved a little more, the wild beasts in
Africa for example, you see a similar system but with a little more
practical life, a more complex existence, where the animal is still
part of the herd, part of the system, part of the whole, but already
shows independence and feelings and wants and needs.

5.2 So many rules, so many duties

Why is it that there are so many rules we have to follow in our
society? Why is it that there are so many things that we must do
and so many things that we are not allowed to do, or that society
frowns upon if we do them?

Society is built on rules. A good society has good rules, rules that
help people live with each other without hurting one another,
without hurting society itself. It has rules that if you obey you will
be a successful part of society, and if you disregard you will be on
the fringe, on the edge of society with all that this position brings.
And sometimes it is not bad to be a little out of the center, the
mainstream society, as long as it is by choice. By your choice.

Society is made up of millions of peoples, who have millions of
opinions and millions of ways of seeing the world, of understand-
ing the world, millions of different ways of living, of working, of
having relationships. It is a mess. It really is. And so many different

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points of views make it impossible to be together, to work togeth-
er, to build together. This is why every society has some basic rules
that most people, not all, but the majority of the people, have de-
cided that are the best rules for that society, or at least the most
efficient rules for that society to function.

The good news? These rules are flexible and they change all the
time. Sometimes over periods of decades but sometimes over
months or even weeks. New rules come, old rules are forgotten
or just pushed away. Society itself is a living organism and so are
the rules that make it. So don’t feel too bad if you don’t like the
rules society have at the moment, and if you really want, you can
even try to change them yourselves. If you gather enough support,
enough people from that society that want to change the rules too,
it will happen sooner or later.

But while you are in society, and we all are in some society, respect
the rules that are valid now, the rules that are working for that
society now. Because without them? Everything collapses, and it
is much easier to fix what you have than to destroy everything and
start building from scratch. Especially if you are not sure and have
no evidence that the new rules you would like to have work.

And what about your duties? Why do you have to do things for so-
ciety? Because it is a society. We are all in it together. You do your
part, I do my part, they do their part. We all put in the effort, the
energy, the time to make it work, to make it better. Society is not a
product you use. It is alive and you are part of it. If a finger decides
that it doesn’t want to do what it needs to do, the whole arm will
not work properly, and the whole body will not work properly, and
nothing can be done or built. Your duties are not a punishment, it
is not something you have to be forced to do, it is your contribution
to the whole, to the bigger picture, to the greater good. Your duties
are a blessing, you should be able to do them with a smile, with a

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sense that you are part of something good, something bigger than
yourself, something of value that benefits everyone. Yes, you too,
you are part of everyone. We all are.

5.3 So many gifts, so many opportunities

Society is almost infinite. Because there are billions of us. Because
there are hundreds of different views, different ways of thinking,
different ways of doing things, there are dozens of full complete
societies that have their own characteristics, their own rules, their
own goals, their own treasures.

It is like a fractal kaleidoscope of small things, small thoughts,
small feelings, small ideologies, that are combined together, that
are built together into a big house of societies, a society within a
society within a society. Even in your own local societies you will
find many fractions, you will find many mini-worlds that are work-
ing together, that are weaved into the same cloth, the same fabric,
the same beautiful clothes we wear, the same warm fabric of the
blanket that keeps us warm in the cold existence of this world.

And each part of these puzzle of society, each version, each frac-
tion, they all have their own gifts, their own treasures, if you just
care to look, if you just take the time to ask, to explore, to learn,
to teach.

Everybody talking about inclusion and about together, but the
smart person knows this does not mean that everyone has to be
the same and that everybody has to be part of the same one soci-
ety, the same one story, the same one quest.

Societies inside society inside society, this is how it work, this is
the real inclusions, different parts getting the same respect, the

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same weight, the same importance, because if we look closely,
most parts of society want the same thing – a good life. True ,
there are different visions and ideas about how to get the same
result, but if we just agree that we all want the same thing in the
end, isn’t it already half of the way? Half of the struggle? Half of
the quest?

Today you can choose, you have options, you have opportunities,
you can be part of society in different ways and you can benefit
from all these different ways. If you just ask the right questions,
if you just open yourself to new ideas, to new roads, to new doors.

Try, look, search, taste, experience. Don’t limit yourself to the gifts
you know and look for, don’t limit yourself to the treasures your
close circle is admiring and trying to get, see what else is out there,
what else you can do, what else you can see, what else you can
learn.

The more you know about society, the more you know about soci-
eties in plural and in general, the more options you have, and the
more treasures you will collect on your way. It is that simple.

The more you are involved in society and in all fractions of that
society, the more you yourself help society grow, help shape it
into something useful, something productive, something good. For
you, for everybody. The more you are involved, the more society
grows bigger, grows better, and the result is that you grow better
with it. Growing together is the best way for you to grow “you”.

5.4 Build together, grow together

Once again we talk about this word “grow”. But what does it re-
ally mean? How do we grow, why do we grow? Do we really need

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to keep on growing? It sounds like so much work, to grow all the
time, to keep on putting energy and time and resources to grow, is
it really worth it?

Yes. It is. It is worth it, and it is necessary and yes, it is a lot of
work, but life is work, period. Sometimes you can take a break and
take a deep breath and even relax a little and gather your strength
and lick your wounds, but this is part of the process.

The work we put into building a society, a real society, that works
together in a way that helps everybody and that benefits every-
body is not only important but is essential. In fact, I would say
that this work we put, or the things that we do and we consider as
work, to create a better society is not only an exercise we do, not
only preparation for that big “something” we look for, but is that
“something” we look for. The work is part of the treasure.

We live in a world that is made to be more and more comfortable
and more and more convenient. We can get almost anything we
want with a push of a button, with a swipe on a screen, and we
come to believe that this is the real world, that the world was made
for us, society made for us. But if it was made for us, we have to
ask ourselves, made by who? Made for what?

If we do not make society by ourselves, how can we control what it
becomes? If someone else is building society for us and we are just
“users” or “customers” of society, we are not the ones making the
decisions, not the real decisions, not the important decisions. We
might feel like we have the power to decide but in fact we can only
choose from a very limited list of options, from choices that were
already made for us and that will benefit someone else, not us, not
us as individuals and not us as a society.

If on the other hand we insist, and we fight for our right to build

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together, to grow together, we are part of the process, we are part
of the growth, we are part of the we. We are the we.

Don’t you want to be the master of your fate? Don’t you want to
be part of something that is so much bigger than you, than your
family, than your small circle of friends?

5.5 The sustainable society

How does a society survive? How does it get to a point that you
can say it is ‘working’, it is functioning? Is it the people who make
it? Or the actions of the people in it? Who creates the energy and
who uses it? Who makes and creates and who uses and pushes? So
many questions, such a complex questions.

First, just think of yourself. And what is your position in society,
what you want your position in society to be. And why. What will
you get when you get to that position? Power? Money? Respect?
A good life?

These are all actually very good answers but are they your an-
swers? For a society to be really sustainable, surviving on its own,
with its own energy and its own resources, people have to feel
their way to their right goal in it, to find their vocation, they thing
that will be most valuable to society, but also to them, most bene-
ficial to society but also most joyful for them.

It is by that principle, of finding what is the position that will be
perfect for you, and will give you the best optimal experience of
your life, that you have already completed most of your quest, and
this time, not only do you get a better society as a treasure, you
are the treasure, a treasure that is you as you, and a treasure that
is you as part of society.

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5.6 Sufficiency and satisfaction

How do we get satisfaction from society? What do we get from it
at all? What would make us happy to get from society, what would
make us happy to see society be?

What is the drive that we have to satisfy, to get what we want?
Is it a happy society, a productive society, a serious society, a fun
society, and why not all these things together? So which one will
satisfy us, or which ones? Multiple choices, do not worry.

It might be the case that once you look around and imagine what
you want, you will see that the distance is shorter than you think,
you might see that you are on the right direction, and that? That
is already your basic first taste of satisfaction, and the more you
follow that path the more satisfaction you will find, and the more
you narrow your target and understand what are the things you
really need and what are just weights and anchors, your progress
will be multiplied, and so is the satisfaction.

It is a very easy idea, the more your follow your right path, the
more satisfaction you will find at any step. Society itself has a path
it has to find and so do you, your personal path inside it. Find the
right one, create it for yourself, and follow it. Satisfaction guaran-
teed.

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Society is you multiplied by millions

If you want to build a better society, build a better you and help
others be the best them that they can be. Everyone else is just
like you, not perfect, trying, growing, and moving forward. Change
yourself and help change society.

Society is all around you

There is no way to leave society, whereever you go it is there. Live
with this idea and you will understand how important it is to build
a good society, good for you and good for society itself.

Society is evolving

Trying to keep up with the changes of society is hard but being
part of those changes is being a productive positive part in society,
a positive force in society. Embrace that evolution, learn from it, be
part of it, make the best of it.

The best Society is a sustainable one

Like everything else, society as a system works best when all
partswork together for the benefit of all parts, when the different
individuals who make that society get just as much benefit from it
as the energy and time they put into it.
Building a sustainable society is not easy, but the rewards and
treasures that it brings to everybody is beyond even your imagi-
nation, the result of working in a sustainable society, of building
a sustainable society are the biggest treasure human culture can
have.

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Quest #5 Finding the treasure that is SOCIETY

The dragons - So many rules, so many different people, so
much is changing all the time and so many
people are not keen on playing by the rules,
and do not have society’s best in heart. How do
you handle the less comfortable parts of being
in a society?

The puzzles - Find out what are the basic rules. Seek the good
people to help you on the way. Think of the
bigger picture and the bigger goal and then
what is your place in that picture and how can
you assist on the way to the goal.

The treasure - A working healthy society is the key to any kind
of real progress and prosperity. By being a
useful and productive part of society you are
not only making an impact but also serving as
positive example to people around you.

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BONUS ROUND

Finding the treasure that is BLISS

Why is bliss your bonus round? Why is it not part of your quests
and just another item in the list we just passed, another level in
the game? Because bliss is magic, pure magic. It cannot be pro-
duced it cannot be found, it cannot be created, it is something that
is above all the rest of the quests for a good life.

What is bliss? It is not just being happy, having joy, having fun,
being content, it is a different beast all together, it really is some-
thing that is above every other thing we experience in our daily
life.

A lot of cheap theories and self-help systems will tell you to “follow
your bliss” but that is like saying follow the wind, you can try if you
want but don’t expect any real result. What they mean is do what
makes you happy and you will be happy, but that is not only very
far from bliss, it is also immature and juvenile and trying to cheat
or find a shortcut to your real happiness, in the deepest sense, in
the most profound way, not just happy right now.

Eat the cake. Yes. Please do. Nobody said you have to suffer. But
will eating the cake make you happy? It will make you fat and
you will not have any cake tomorrow. Maybe you will. There are
a lot of cakes in the world. But that is temporary joy, momentary
happiness.

No, bliss is something else, and this is why it is the bonus round.
You do not play the game to get the bonus round, you play the
game to win the game and then you get the bonus round as an

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additional treasure, as an additional prize over the normal prize of
winning the game.
That is bliss. After you passed all the other levels, fought all the
dragons, solved all the problems, got all the treasures, then bliss
will come. Well, if you are ready to expect it. You want to know
how to tell if you got that bliss? The moment you look at your life
and say to yourself “How? How did I get so lucky?” then you are
probably there.
Don’t follow your bliss. Follow your path. Do the work, make the
sacrifices, celebrate what you have done and what you get, be part
of something bigger than yourself, be part of something good, and
then, then you might be ready. And when you are ready? You have
accomplished the bonus round and can enjoy your bliss.
Good luck and god’s speed!

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The Sustainable Conclusion

We see that the sustainable factor is like a thread that runs be-
tween all these ideas, an idea that is like a mage component that
elevates every one of these points to the maximum level of effi-
ciency, that is like a guide that is always relevant, always correct,
so let’s see what sustainable really means for a system, and as we
said each one of these chapters talk about a system, that works
individually and works together with the others.

Healthy – The system works in a way it builds itself and does not
hurt itself in the process.

Longevity – The system is built to last, built to be there for a long
time, for the full period it is needed.

Efficiency – The system does not use too much energy or resources
and is capable to function on what it has and in a way that is not
wasteful and thinks about how to use what it has in the best way.

Connection – All the systems are connected and work together and
not against each other or by abusing another system energy and
resources.

Direction – All systems are aligned to move us in the right direc-
tion, working together to drive us forward.

Fun – Life should not be suffering, life is a game we play, where
we could be doing what we do happily and with joy as part of the
main forces that drive us, that makes it all worth it.

Growth – A system that is able to grow, to evolve, to adjust, to
improve, to be the best it can be and make us the best we can be.

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Sufficiency and Satisfaction

The two ways to measure if our system is working properly, that it
is built properly, that it has evolved into something that brings the
best benefit to us, to everything around us, to our society, to our
world, are the sufficiency and satisfaction.

Sufficiency – Knowing what is needed for the system to thrive and
grow, and what is fluff that might be entertaining or alluring, that
might seem like we need but is actually just momentary frivolous
desire and a little greed on our part.

Sufficiency – Knowing what ideas are relevant, what ideology is
effective, what is the best deal we can make with life, in terms of
what we give and what we get, what energy and resources we put
in and what benefit comes out.

Sufficiency – Knowing what treasures are real and what are illu-
sions, what treasures are worth keeping and which ones are just
fake treasures or fake goals and just distract us or take away our
energy and time looking for something that we don’t really need,
and that we don’t really want

Satisfaction – The result of finding the best outcome to our efforts,
finding what is the best way we can be our best selves. It can come
from small or big accomplishments, from seeing our progress, from
knowing we are on the right track on the right path in the right
direction

Satisfaction – The treasures we have collected, both material and
ideological, can bring us great satisfaction as they represent our
hard work to get them, the dragons we fought to get them, the
puzzles we solved to get them. Satisfaction itself is a great treasure
we get. If we deserve it.

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Go out, work, fight the dragons, solve the puzzles, gather the trea-
sures. And enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a real, healthy,
productive, enjoyable, full, happy life.

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What is Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP)? SEP is

the philosophy that His Majesty King Rama IX guided a new way
of living for the Thai people for a long time. His Majesty had tried
himself. When it succeeded, His Majesty published the principle
as a model for the people. This new approach started before the
economic crisis, but the people became interested in times of
hardship during a crisis. During that period, His Majesty extend-
ed the meaning of the philosophy and brought it into practicality
in a wide range. To focus on people to live a sustainable, stable,
and safe life under various changes that occur according to glo-
balization. His Majesty also gave the meaning in English as Suf-
ficiency Economy, as said on December 23, 2011.

The Sufficiency Economy Philosophy is an important

guideline for the living and practice of people at all levels. It is a
way of thinking, a behavior, and a development approach with
people and communities at the center. All of which will lead to
sustainable development.

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Sustainable Development or SDGs is a development
goal and framework to achieve nationally and internation-
ally created by the UN for sustainability. The goals were
presented and has been a replacement of the Millennium
Development Goals which expires in 2015. The SDGs were
directed to for the intention to be achieve from 2015 to
2030 with 17 different goals and 247 indicators.

Thailand has its national development framework
that has the SEP as the basis to achieve the Sustainable
Development Goals. The philosophy bases on the princi-
ples of local wisdom and integrity as well as maintaining
balance by following the middle path with reasonableness
and prudence according to the concept of His Majesty King
Bhumibol Adulyadej. The focus of the Sufficiency Econo-
my Philosophy is sustainability, and it is a key principle
of Thailand’s National Economic and Social Development
Plan since 2002.

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Follow various stories about Sufficiency Economy Philosophy
and Sustainability from

SEAMEO SEPS
Website: www.seameo-seps.org

Chaipattana Foundation
Website: www.chaipat.or.th

Office Of The Royal Development Projects Board
Website: www.rdpb.go.th

Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council
Website: www.nesdc.go.th และ https://sdgs.nesdc.go.th/

Thailand Sustainable Development Foundation
Website: http://tsdf.nida.ac.th/th/

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SEAMEO SEPS
Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization
Regional Centre for Sufficiency Economy Philosophy for Sustainability

www.seameo-seps.org

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